


Car Troubles

by Cyan (vehicroids)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mechanics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 15:38:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17226740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vehicroids/pseuds/Cyan
Summary: With a pathetic splutter, Hunk's car had given up on him. At least he wasn't too far from a garage.





	Car Troubles

The three hour trip from his parents’ house back home was almost over, and Hunk was relieved. He must have been around 30 minutes away from home, and as ever, the trip was hassle-free. His old car somehow managed the trip every time, because Hunk knew how to look after the beast. He was looking forward to getting home, stretching his legs, and--

Hunk's car sputtered, slowing to a halt. No, no, not now of all times. He hissed, hitting his head on the steering wheel in frustration. The horn sounded off, the wailing echoing the despair he felt. He was so close to home. his was the first time the old girl had broken down on him. It looked like he needed to get a professional on the case. Thankfully, his insurance could tow him to the nearest garage. It was sure to be overpriced, but this time the old girl needed a proper looking at.

It wasn’t long before Hunk arrived at the garage, and he felt his luck pick up. He got out of the car and looked around, trying to find the mechanic who ran the place. What Hunk expected to see was the average greasemonkey. Someone more of his stature. What he was greeted with instead was a small, thin yet toned guy tying his hair up into a ponytail and not paying attention.

There was only one word to describe this guy - pretty. Hunk stood at the door, gawking at the poor mechanic, a blush spreading on his cheeks. The mechanic eyed him up suspiciously, folding his arms over his chest. Even when he was frowning at Hunk, he was so pretty. Hunk needed to pull himself together.

“Big guy,” the mechanic said, “I said, what do you want?”

Straight to the point. Hunk could appreciate that in a guy. “I uh-- my car. It broke down, but I'm not totally sure what's up with it. I can guess, but honestly, cars aren't my strong suit. I mean, that’s not to say I can’t hold my own when fixing cars, but it’s just, not my specialty, you know?”

The mechanic tilted his head as Hunk rambled on for eternity. Oh God. Hunk scratched his cheek, embarrassed. He was already great at rambling, but even better at it when faced with someone cute. It was almost a talent, really. The mechanic unfolded his arms, walking past Hunk.

“Show me,” he said.

Hunk was barely given a moment to think before he nodded, bringing him over to his car. He turned the ignition for the mechanic, which came to life for a brief second before dying. With each attempt, the car coughed and sputtered, before giving up, over and over again. Hunk groaned, hanging his head in frustration. At least he knew it wasn’t his imagination. The mechanic hummed, popping the hood open. He took a look, then cast his attention back to Hunk.

“It might just be a loose connection somewhere,” he said, grabbing the rag from his waistband and wiping his greasy hands, “but the battery might also be fucked. Good news, I can fix both.”

Hunk frowned. “What's the bad news?”

“The second one isn't going to be cheap, and considering the age of your car… you might be better off scrapping it,” he shrugged.

Hunk wasn’t fond of the idea of scrapping it. If it was just a loose connection, he would rather try that first. “Do you think you can find the loose connection? If it's there, I mean.”

The mechanic paused, glancing down at the inside of the bonnet again. “I can try, yeah.”

While the mechanic worked, Hunk pulled out his phone to tell Lance about what just happened. Of course, he added in the part where he was blessed by the presence of a cute mechanic. Lance demanded pictures. Hunk had to be sneaky with his phone, but he managed to snap a photo of the mechanic bent over a little, reaching into the car.

‘ _ ASK HIM OUT NOW RIGHT NOW _ ’

Hunk frowned at his phone. At least he could rely on Lance to be… honest, he supposed. He fiddled with his phone as he waited for the mechanic to do his thing. Eventually, he tried the engine again, and much to everyone's relief, the car came back to life. Hunk beamed at him, pulling him into the biggest, tightest hug from sheer relief. Realising a split second later what he had done, he released the crushed and confused mechanic.

“Sorry buddy, I'm just grateful, got a little carried away. Won't happen again,” Hunk said, smiling sheepishly.

The mechanic chuckled. “It's fine, I just wasn't expecting it.”

“You wanna know the worst part? I squeezed the hell out of you, but never even caught your name.” Hunk held out his hand. “I'm Hunk. Thanks again for fixing my car, man.”

“Keith,” he nodded, taking Hunk's hand and giving him a surprisingly strong handshake.

Hunk let go, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. He handed Keith the money - he was lucky it was a simple fix, and thus would not be overcharged to high hell. He smiled at Hunk, soft and warm, and his heart was a useless puddle in his chest. He smiled back at Keith, though he was sure it was nowhere near as soft, and certainly not as graceful. He got back into his car and drove away.

The whole ride home, all Hunk could think about was Keith. He wouldn’t see him again, but having a useless and temporary crush wasn’t a bad thing. Maybe if he saw him again, he would dare himself to ask Keith out. 

Yeah, right.

A couple of days late,  the town was hit by a heatwave. Hunk flicked on the air conditioning in the car, only for it to refuse to come on. He flicked it off, then back on. Still nothing. Come on, he just fixed one issue, he didn't need another one cropping up. He could have tried fixing it up himself - and he did come close to doing so - but he realised this would be wasting an opportunity. His wallet cried in protest, but Hunk ignored it.

He pulled up to the garage, where he saw Keith working under a car, music blasting. Hunk got out of his car, relieved to be out in the fresh air, and approached Keith.

“Hey man,” Hunk greeted.

“Wh--”  _ thump  _ “shit!” Keith slid out from under the car, expression hardened into a glare. The glare melted like ice cream in the heat when he looked up at Hunk. “Oh. Hey.” He sat up, rubbing his head. “What's up?”

“My AC is busted,” Hunk admitted, “mind taking a look at it? It's a little too hot to just leave it.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “I'm surprised it worked in the first place.”

Hunk chuckled. He watched Keith get up and move over to the car, before following behind him. Keith took a quick look, before turning his attention back to Hunk.

“It's gonna take me a little while, so if you want to just leave it here, I'll get started as soon as I'm done over there,” Keith gestured to where he was.

“Sure. Thanks, man.”

Keith nodded as Hunk handed him the keys, before going back to where he was. He sort of wanted to hang around, but there was nothing worse than someone watching you work. He called instead Lance, asking to hang out for a little while. In exchange, Hunk offered to tell him all about his attempts at romance.

When he returned later that day, the car was fixed up. Keith was waiting for him, key sat snugly in his hand. Hunk pulled out his wallet and paid first - he wasn't about to screw him over - before reaching out for the key. Keith handed him the key, giving him a small smile. Did he always smile this often, or was it just for Hunk? No, that was wishful thinking.

“Here you go, big guy, she's all yours again,” he said.

“Thanks again, Keith.” For a moment, Hunk considered just saying something, asking him if he wanted to do something some time. But he didn't. Daring himself to ask Keith out was working pretty well. “I should get going.”

There was a brief change of expression on Keith's face, almost disappointed. “I'll see you around, Hunk.”

Hunk smiled, getting in his car and driving away. God bless air conditioning, especially air conditioning fixed by a cute guy. He felt stupid, though. He should have just asked him out, or asked if he was single. Though, there was always next time, when his car had another fault, and Hunk wanted to use that as an excuse to see Keith. This time, he geared himself up to ask Keith if he was single, but his mouth betrayed him, saying something far more stupid.

“Are you into guys?”

The question startled both of them. Hunk's hands flew over his mouth, eyes wide. He wanted to die, wishing he could take it back. Keith's eyebrows shot up, before snorting, returning to his normal expression.

“Didn't mean to say that?” he asked, and Hunk shook his head. “Then we'll forget about it.”

Hunk was glad, but he wished he just had the gall to say, you know what? Yes. Was Keith into guys? The worst part was, he never got an answer. After every visit, Hunk just felt more and more useless. He dared himself to ask, but every time, he just ran. Lance laughed at him whenever he lamented over it.

“Bite the bullet and ask him out,” Lance told him.

“What if he says no? What if he's straight? I can't--” Deep breath. “I'm not like you, I can’t just hit on anything that moves.”

“Relax. Who could say no to you? Besides, if he says no, well, there's more than one mechanic in town,” Lance grinned.

Yeah. That wasn't as helpful as Lance thought it was. Maybe one day, when he wasn't so terrified of rejection. In other words, Hunk would never ask, and would continue to watch Keith from afar. Besides, a guy like him? Straight or not, there was no way he wasn't single. He wouldn't know until he asked, but, alas…

Hunk took the car to the garage for anything and everything, almost certain every single part was now brand new. Every time Keith saw him, there was an amused smile on his face. Hunk wondered if Keith could see right through him, but there was no way, right? Hunk was the master of subtlety with his romantic intentions.

Hunk watched Keith fiddle with the windscreen wipers, checking what on Earth could be the issue. He hoped Keith wouldn't find it, but his hopes dissolved when Keith fished something out of the mechanics. He frowned at Hunk, showing him the little copper intruder and handing it back to him.

“A penny. That's your problem,” he said, pressing the cold coin into the palm of Hunk's hand. “You know, if you want to ask me out that badly, ask me.”

Hunk froze. He thought he was a little more subtle than that. His hand closed around the coin, feeling the guilt. He should have been honest, just told Keith what he wanted from the get go. Keith stared up at him, waiting. Well, if he already knew his intentions, he should have just gone for it. But he was scared, knowing this was just going to end in rejection. Hunk swallowed hard. He can do this.

“Do you, um… are you… would you…?” He can't do this.

“I get off at five. Pick me up at seven, give me time to wash off this grease,” Keith offered.

“Really? You're not just saying that, right? You don't have to go on a pity date with me or--”

A hand wrapped around his empty one, holding it so softly Hunk wasn't sure it was even held. He stopped mid speech, unable to speak. He knew his palms were clammy and gross, yet Keith was still holding on. His expression was so gentle, and Hunk could feel his stomach churn and gurgle.

Keith held Hunk's cheek with his free hand, keeping him in place, not that he could move even if he tried. He leaned up on his toes to press a soft kiss to his cheek, and Hunk's heart went into overdrive. Keith looked into his eyes, that amused expression returning once more.

“I'll see you at seven, Hunk.”

And with that, Keith went back to work on cars that had not been sabotaged. Hunk's face burned, but he grinned. His luck was finally coming up.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Rose Gold - my first zine! I can't believe I haven't posted this yet ahah. Oops.
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](http://vehicroids.tumblr.com) || [Twitter](https://twitter.com/vehicroids/)


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